Page 188 - Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

e Goldilocks Rule states that humans exper ience peak motivation

when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities.
Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.

THE GOLDILOCKS RULE

FIGURE 15: Maximum motivation occurs when facing a
challenge of just manageable difficulty. In psychology research
this is known as the Yerkes–Dodson law, which describes the
optimal level of arousal as the midpoint between boredom and
anxiety.

Martin’s comedy career is an excellent example of the Goldilocks Rule in
practice. Each year, he expanded his comedy routine—but only by a minute

or two. He was always adding new mater ial, but he also kept a few jokes that
were guaranteed to get laughs. ere were just enough victories to keep him
motivated and just enough mistakes to keep him working hard.